Have We Seen The Last Of Joe Flacco As A Baltimore Raven

For the longest time, we have always know that Joe Flacco would be under center for the Baltimore Ravens. The last couple of seasons Flacco has battled injuries and this season was no exception. The Ravens needed a backup plan and that is why they drafted Lamar Jackson out of Louisville to be the backup. No one really expected Jackson to play much, but plans can always change at a moments notice. When Flacco went down Jackson was inserted into the lineup in hopes he could keep the Ravens afloat.

Jackson has done a great job and continues to do so week after week. No one expected Jackson to keep the job when Flacco was healthy again. Jackson has been on a roll lately and Coach Harbaugh had no choice but to go with the rookie. The chemistry on offense has been great and Harbaugh did not want to mess with the success Jackson has had. Where does this leave Flacco?

Joe Flacco has been a very consistent quarterback most of the time for the Ravens. Now that he is in a backup role will he be happy with it? I think he will not and could ask to be traded or release. I guess it all depends on how Joe Flacco wants to wind down his career.

JR Smith Is He Damaged Goods Or Still Has Something Left In Tank

JR Smith is looking for an NBA team and some of the teams could be thinking about trading for him. Why would anyone want JR? Is there anything left in the tank? These are questions teams are asking themselves as they explore maybe trading for the Cavaliers wingman. Let's look at JR Smith and why he may get a second look by contending teams.

The one thing that makes JR Smith appealing is his contract. This season the 15 million is guaranteed, but next year only around 3.5 million is guaranteed. Trading for him means you can clear cap space if you do not keep him the following year. His contract is cap friendly for most teams whom may trade for him.

Now many people feel JR is not worth trading for after his Finals Game 1 debacle, but I think that could help him out. JR Smith wants to prove to people he can still play the game of basketball. If he can get traded to a contending team he can be himself. Play defense and score some points off the bench. He does not have to carry the team he needs to just help out. A role that I think JR Smith could handle at this point in his career.

College Football Selection Committee Has Tough Call This Season

With the results, yesterday from the Conference Championship games the selection committee has a tough day ahead of itself. There are a number of teams that want in and the reality is some are going to be disappointed and mad. It'supposed to be the best four teams, but that can sometimes be a hard thing to judge. Let's look at the contenders and whose in and who may be sitting home.

Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson are all locks for the playoffs. All three teams did enough to get in and should have no issues making it to the playoffs. Now after that these teams, all make it interesting. Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, UCF all have a case why they should be included.

UCF has been undefeated for over two years and will get some consideration, but in the end, for them, I think they will not make it. The strength of schedule really hurts this team. Georgia has a strong case as they only lost to Alabama and LSU the SEC Championship was a close one and they could have beaten Alabama. Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship and Oklahoma won the Big12. Both Oklahoma and Ohio State both have a loss that probably shouldn't have happened.

In the end, you want the four best teams and out of the remaining ones, it's easy to see Georgia is the best team. I look for Georgia even with two losses to make it in even though they did not win their conference. If Georgia does not make it look for Oklahoma to sneak in. No matter who makes it some teams will be crying foul once again.

How Much More Can We Expect Browns Fans To Take?

After thinking about this long and hard I am wondering how much more can we expect Cleveland Browns fans to take. They lost their team and then got it back only to see some horrible pro football. The last three seasons and counting this season the Browns are a combined 6-48-1 which is totally unacceptable. It does not end there for Browns fans though as they have had to endure some horrible coaching since 1999.

Here is a list of the coaches since then:

Chris Palmer
Butch Davis
Terry Robiskie
Romeo Crennel
Eric Mangini
Pat Shurmur
Rob Chudzinski
Mike Pettine
Hue Jackson

Look at the list of coaches above, not the who's who of coaching in the NFL that's for sure. This is one of the main reasons the Browns have been so bad for so long. When you do not have the best coaches you will struggle and the Browns have proven that theory correct. Browns fans have hated most of their coaches and with the performance of them you really cannot blame them.

Draft players have been another issue as well. Cleveland probably has one of the worse draft records of any NFL team. Some of the players the Browns have chosen over the years make you shake your head. The performance on the field has shown these picks have been horrible at best. At least now the Browns have John Dorsey and the picks have been getting alot better.

I give Cleveland Browns fans credit as they are really resilient, but how much more can they take. This season the Browns could be 6-1 but they have lost games they should have won. It goes to show you that the Browns fan base is one of the best in the NFL. Win or lose they continue to support the team no matter how bad it has been for them.

Browns Lose In Overtime Again But Have Issues Besides Just Hue Jackson

The Cleveland Browns lost again this time in overtime to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-23 on a 60-yard field goal. Now you can blame a lot of people for this loss and many people are asking for Hue Jackson to be fired. Now that's a possibility, but there are a lot more problems than just Hue Jackson. Does Hue Jackson deserve to be fired? That's an easy answer yes he should be with the record he has, but it goes much deeper than that for the Cleveland Browns.

The Buccaneers have an elite offense and they showcased that against the Browns defense that at times looked lost and confused. This has something to do with injuries, but you cannot commit penalty after penalty either. The Browns had so many penalties today many of them should not have happened. Encroachment and offsides and illegal procedure should not happen. You can blame coaching but in the end, it comes down to the players on the field. They know exactly what to do, but are not executing it very well.

John Dorsey has made many changes one was getting rid of players he felt were not winners. yes, the Browns are better this season, but they are still making the same mistakes they did when they were 0-16. A coaching change is probably the next step, but there are so many problems that need to be addressed as well. What has happened to the Browns defense it has been shredded the last two games? How about Duke Johnson? Johnson is frustrated and you cannot blame him one bit.  He was supposed to get more touches, but it looks the same in my opinion.

The Cleveland Browns have many issues internal and external. Hopefully, they can get it fixed soon if not it looks like another bad season in Cleveland.

Does Latest Ohio State Debacle Cost Them A Playoff Spot?

It seems Ohio State every year travels on the road where they decide not to show up and play good college football and it leaves you scratching your head. This time it was in Purdue as the Buckeyes got pushed around all night long as Purdue dominated them 49-20. It was as bad as the score shows as the Boilermakers were not scared by the No.2 Buckeyes and there high powered offense. This loss really hurts there playoff chances, but it does not eliminate them totally.

Many college football fans think or feel the Buckeyes have no chance, but that's not reality in the college football landscape. Teams can lose a game there suppose to win and still make it. For Ohio State this year could be a tricky one for them. They can make it but will need some help because it could be real close. Here is what must happen for the Buckeyes to have a shot at the playoffs.

The first thing the Buckeyes must do is win out so they can get to the Big Ten Championship game. Purdue also must win out as well so they can avenge their one loss by playing them in the Championship game. A Norte Dame and UCF loss would help alot as well. Ohio State still has a shot and the one thing we have noticed about the committee they will give the Buckeyes a good look even with one loss.

Carlos Hyde Traded To Jags For 5th Round Pick

Carlos Hyde was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 5th round pick today. Hyde had to know the writing was on the wall if you ask me. Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson needed more carries and the only way that was going to happen is to trade Carlos Hyde. For the Browns this is something that may not turn out as well as they hope it does and here is why.

Everyone is looking at Nick Chubbs numbers and they are very impressive, but you also must factor in other things as well. Defenses were not designed to slow him down in their game plans, but that will stop with Hyde being traded. Chubb is a great talent, but it will be much tougher to knock off those big runs like he did early this season. Only time will tell how this works out for the Browns.

As far as Duke Johnson he does need to touch the ball more, but I do not think it should be as a runner. He cannot take the punishment of being an every down running back. Cleveland should consider making Johnson a slot receiver which would make matchup nightmares for opposing teams. The way it looks though that will not happen anytime soon.

It will be interesting to see how this trade works out for both teams. Hyde is a workhorse back and should do well in Jacksonville. For the Browns they are hoping that Chubb can carry the load like he did in Georgia. Only time will tell if the Browns made a good decision on trading Carlos Hyde.